Safety trace-fastener



(No Model.)

V K. SEIPERT & K. MALISCHKE.

SAFETY TRACE FASTENER.

No. 417,449. Patented Dec. 17, 1889.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

KARL SEIFERT AND KARL MALISOHKE, OF MILXVAUKEE, VISCONSIN. v

SAFETY TRACE-FASTEN ER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 417,449, dated December 17, 1889.

Application filed October 8, 1888. Serial No. 287,528. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, KARL SEIFERT and KARL MALISOHKE, of Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee, and in the State of WVisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Safety Trace-Fasteners;

' and we do hereby declare that the following is a full clear, and exact description thereof.

Our invention relates to safety trace-fasteners, and will be fully described hereinafter.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan of our invention, partly in section, on line 1 1, Fig. 3. Fig. 2 is a side elevation; Fig. 3, a plan of one end of our fastener. Fig. Al is a section on line 44., Fig. 2.

A is an ordinary evener, to each end of which is secured a ferrule B, which is cast in one piece with a barrel 0, through which a bolt D passes. The bore of the barrel C is reduced near its outer end, so that the bolt D fits snugly in it, and a collar a on the bolt is to receive one end of a spring b, which surrounds the bolt in the barrel and is con fined in the barrel by a screw-cap 0, through which the bolt passes; also, a cast with the barrel and ferrule is a lug E, that is slotted at d to receive the rear end of the trace F, and this lug E has an opening or recess c to receive the extreme outer end of the bolt D after it has passed through a perforation fin the trace. The inner end of the bolt D has screwed or otherwise secured onto it a thumbpiece g, which is connected by a wire or cord G with a like bolt D on the opposite end of the evener, the devices on both ends of the evener being exactly alike. The cord G is loosely confined in cars 7L, that project from the rear of the evener, by anti-friction rollers i; and to a link or ring j, that is swiveled to the cord at its center, is to be hooked a cord or chain K, that extends to a convenient point near the drivers seat in the vehicle.

The tug ends of the traces are preferably provided each with a metal facing m, which is flanged at m, and this flange acts as a stop to bring the bolt-hole in the trace just opposite the bolt when the trace is thrust into the slot in lug E.

The shafts are provided each with a holdbacksuch as shown at L--having a forwardly-proj ecting finger p to receive the holdback-strap, and each shaft is tipped with rubher, as at P.

The operation of our device is as follows: When a trace is to be hitched, the bolt D is pulled back by means of thumb-piece g, the trace inserted in slot d, and then the thumbpiece is released and the bolt is forced back by spring-b to the position shown in Fig. 1, when it takes into the trace. Both-traces are of course hitched in this way, and the unhitching may be accomplished by withdrawing the bolts by means of the thumbpiece directly; but the main object of our invention is to enable an occupant ofthe vehiole to detach the horse in case of'a runaway, and hence the two bolts are connected, so that an occupant of the vehicle may, by pulling the rope or chain K, withdrawboth bolts at once and release the horse from the vehicle. The rubber tips on the shafts are to prevent such a jar when the shafts fall as would break them.

Having thus fully described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. An evener, a ferrule fitted to each end thereof, a barrel cast in one piece with the ferrule, a slotted lug in one piece with the ferrule and barrel, a spring-controlled bolt arranged in said barrel to normally extend across the slot in the lug, a pull-cord connecting the bolts at opposite ends of the evener, and anti-friction rollers arranged on said evener to support the pull-cord, substantially as set forth.

2. Shafts provided with holdbacks having forwardly-projecting fingers, an evener, a ferrule fitted to each end of the evener, a barrel cast with the ferrule, a slotted lug in one piece with the ferrule and barrel, a springcontrolled bolt arranged in said barrel to normally extend across the slot in the lug, a pullcord connecting the bolts at opposite ends of said evener, and elastic tips secured to the outer ends of the shafts, substantially as set forth. I

3. An evener, a ferrule on each end thereof, a barrel and slotted lug in one piece with the ferrule, a spring-controlled bolt arranged in said barrel to normally extend across the in the county of Milwaukee and State of VVisslot in the lug, the thumb-piece 9, connected consin, in the presence of two witnesses.

to the inner end of the bolt, and a pull-cord KARL SEIFERT. connected to the thumb-piece, substantially KARL MALISCHKE. 5 as set forth. Witnesses:

In testimony that we claim the foregoing we N. E. OLIPHANT,

have hereunto set our hands, at Milwaukee, TILLIAM KLUG. 

